Caster.



J. E. JOHNSON.

GASTER. APPLICATION FILED 8E PT.12,190B.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

lll

from a single piece of metal t'olded together JOSEPH EDWARD JOHNSON, OF MERIBEL', CONNECTICUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 12, 1909.

Application filed September 12, 1908. Serial No. 462,793.

T o all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH E. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meriden, in the count of New Haven and State of Connecticut,4 ave invented a new and useful Improvement in Casters; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings l and the letters of reference marked thereon, l to be a full, clear, and exact description of 'the sa1ne,and which said drawings constitute i part of this specification, and represent, ini Figure 1 a side view of a caster constructed g in accordance with niy invention. VFig. 2 a side view of the tubular portion Otl the socket,

detached. Fig. 3 a side view of the spring, detached. Fig. 4 a sectional view of the:

socket showing the piiitle therein on an eni lai-ged scale. Fig. 5 a sectional view of a modified form of securing the spring in the socket. Fig. 6 a sectional view showing the socket frictionally engaged with the spring.

This invention relates to an improvement in casteis and particularly to that class in t which the castel' proper is irovided with a piiitle adapted to enter and ie retained in a tubular socket entered into the leg of furiiii ture, and are sometimes called furniture casteis. l

The object of this invention is to provide means for holding the pintlc in the socket by i means of springs arranged within the socket l but independent of the socket, so that the strain of the piiitle in the socket does not atl'ect the spring; and the invention consists in the constructlon hereinafter described and particularly recited in the claims.

The caster coin rises a wheel ".2, horn 3 and iintle 4 of usuai) construction, the pintle. liaviug the usual head 5 which is larger in diameter than the body portion of thc pintle so as to forni a shoulder 6. The socket iiicnibei' comprises the usual track plate T and a tubular member S which may be formed t or drawn, and at its open end is interlockcd with the track plate usually by forming a rib t) above the track late and a rib 1U below the track plate, tiie ribs being closed i together upon the edge oi the central opciiing in the track plate. 'l`l1is socket corresponds in length to the length of the pintle and so that the upper end of the socket rests upon the top, or bottom, of the pintle, t or both at the saine time, and hence forms t sprinr arms 13 entering bearing points. Within the socket I arrange a spring 11. This ma be of tubuiaraorm cut from spring nieta and formed'at its upper end with notches 12 more or less in number, to form spring fingers 13. At its lower end it is formed with a flange 14 adapted to be interlocked with the socket either above or below the track plate. As shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, it is interlockcd below the track plate, and as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings it is interlocked above the track ilate; and this spring, while preferably ormed from a single piece, might clearly be formed from separate pieces which together i'orm substantially a tube. The length of this spring is such as to extend into the socket to such a distance as to allow the head of the pintle to ass be ond it7 the below t e shoulder 6. I the spring is'made from a tubular piece, its lower end may be interlocked with the track plate and the socket set over the top of the spring and have its lower end eneav'e frictionally with the spring so as to be he d in place or the socket may be welded to spring as shown in Fig. 6. spring yields to permit the pintle to bc cntered into the socket, when it is entered into the socket, the head 5 extending above the `s rings 13 cannot readily be. withdrawn,

a though it may be when sutlicient force is applied. The pintle bearing against the top o the socket above the springs or at the i bottom or both, does not afl'ect the springs when the pintle is turned under strain.` As shown the upper end of the socket will bc slightly ta ered to facilitate the entrance oi it into tie hole provided for it in furnif ture legs.

1. 'Ilie herein described socket for casters comprising a tubular iucnibci', a tubular spring arranged within said tubuhii incinbcr permanently connected at its lower end with said tubular member and cxtciiding upward t0 a point below the upper end of the tubular iiicuibcr, substantially iis described.

2. A caster comprising a tubulin' socket closed at its u per end, a tubular spring member couple at its lower end therewith and extending upward into the socket, said s ring ineniber slotted at its upper end, and tl 1e iiietal between the slots turned iiiward, substantially as described.

3. A easter comprising a pintle having a While this head ut its uper end, of a socket, a track In testimony whereof, I have signed this plate with w loll the. socket 1s on aged, n. v spemficatlonm the prespnce of two subscribtubular s )ruig membcr wltlun sal socket, l mg wltnesses.

said tubu ar sprimJr member interlocked at JOSEPH EDWARD JOHNSON. 5 its lower end wlth tile socket and terminating l llitlxosses:

at a point below the u per end of the socket, FREDERIC C. EARN,

substantially as desem ed. SAMUEL H. FISHER. 

